It is an exceptional opportunity to study art history in Washington, D.C., the home base of the federal government and all its agencies, and of the embassies and consulates of every country in the world. Washington is one of the world's great cultural and educational centers, whose museums, libraries, universities, music and concert halls, and historical archives are available as first-hand resources for study and research in the arts and humanities.

Local world-class museums and libraries include the National Gallery of Art, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Renwick Gallery, the Textile Museum, the Freer/Sackler Gallery, Dumbarton Oaks, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Phillips Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Archives of American Art, the Library of Congress, and the National Museum of African Art.

Internships at many of these institutions are available to our MA candidates.

The Consortium of Washington Universities greatly enhances the course offerings and library holdings of American University. Students are encouraged to augment their studies by taking graduate courses at the University of Maryland and George Washington University. The joint holdings of the Consortium universities, immediately accessible to all American University students, collectively constitute one of the top libraries in the country.